Take Hold
by templeofdecay
Summary: An unlikely pairing causes strain on the Proxian party's efforts, as well as on previously existing relationships. / Please review to let me know if you want me to continue this!
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: Characters and world, among other things, taken from Golden Sun, the video game series put out by Camelot. I take no ownership of the work of this game.

Hello, all! So, I thought to try something new. This is me trying something new. I'm not sure what I really plan on doing with this or where I plan on taking it. Actually, I'm not even sure if I plan to pursue this, so please leave comments and thoughts if you would like more. If you have suggestions (or if you'd like to take a stab at who the mysterious couple is), I would love to read them! It will certainly help me out in the writing process. Do enjoy!

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PROLOGUE

She rolled over in her sleep, her arm taking the unguided path of a semicircle before falling over the body of a sleeping warrior. She nuzzled her head into his shoulder, trying to find a comfortable position in which she could continue dreaming. Having found one, she brought her legs nearer to her chest and hugged the man's body closer.

He stirred. His head thrashed to the right, then centered. Subconsciously, he made an effort to stay asleep and to remain in the dream world, but his body was ready to wake – in fact, it needed to. Slowly, his eyelids opened, and he saw above him the pale gray of the girl's tent. The dusk light of early morning could barely be seen through the cloth of the tent. Seeing the young woman's body on his, he brought his free hand around to run his fingers through the girl's tangled auburn hair. Gently, his fingertips traveled down her shoulder and arm to her open hand, which lay on his chest. He gave it a soft squeeze; the girl closed her eyes tighter, but otherwise made no reaction.

The man sighed. Leisurely, he moved out from under the girl's arm and began to dress himself. He pulled on his trousers and was strapping on his belt when he heard the rustle of sheets behind him. He looked over his shoulder and smiled at the sight. "I'm glad you've woken."

The girl, sitting upright and cross-legged, pulled the covers around her. "I don't want to move," she pouted.

Ignoring her, the warrior returned his attention to his belt, which he fastened. He tucked in his tunic and bent over, stuffing his foot into a boot. As his fingers fumbled with the buckles on the removable storage apparatus that he wore around his lower leg, he felt arms clamping around him. The girl had risen from her position on the floor and was hugging the gent from behind, resting her head on his bent-over back as she did so. "I don't want it to be day," she said glumly.

Though not resisting the girl's expression of affection, the man heartlessly replied, "We cannot control the sun. Night will be upon us soon enough, especially if we don't get moving." When the young woman kept silent, the warrior said, "Now that you're up, get your things. We leave momentarily."

"What about breakfast?" she asked, raising her head but not removing her grip around his broad shoulders.

"We eat on the move." The young man brought his hand to rest on the girl's, which he stroked gently with his thumb. He removed the hand, hesitated a bit, and then proceeded to relinquish himself from the maiden's hold. She complied.

The man finished fastening his equipment as the girl began preparing herself for another day of travel. Tying his sword at his hip, the man turned his heel and brought his hand forth to tear away the curtain at the mouth of the tent. He paused just as his gloved hand made contact with the cloth. His gaze lowered. Turning around to face the girl, he smiled weakly; she was making the last of a few adjustments to her armor. Pulling a leather strap taut, she looked his way with beckoning eyes. The warrior's hand dropped from the flap of the tent as the man walked towards the girl, who angled her body to be open to his impending embrace. The moment he got close enough, he put his hands on the young girl's hips, pulled her towards him, and fondly kissed her on the lips. In response, the girl threw her arms around the man's neck, pulling him closer as her fingers played with his soft hair.

Outside, the wind blew coldly as the other party members readied themselves for the journey ahead.

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And that's that! Again, please leave a review. Comments, thoughts, suggestions are all wonderful and _much_ appreciated. TYVM to you in advance, and as always, thanks for reading!

Sincerely, Tem


	2. Chapter 1

Hello, all! Here is the second installment to this story: Chapter I. Please leave a review to let me know how it's going. Enjoy reading, and thank you!

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CHAPTER I

The cloth flaps at the entrance of the small tent opened abruptly, allowing snow and chilly air to fill the void. The brilliant sun shone through, causing the viewer of its beauty to shield his eyes. The face of a callous and dejected woman appeared. Outlined by the white light of the sun, she almost looked like an angel. "Get up, old man," she crowed before turning sharply, her cape flowing elegantly behind her.

Kraden sat up, hugging the thin sheet to his body. He had never experienced such cold weather before, not even in Vale where it snowed in the winter. It was something about the air; it was unnaturally dry, Kraden decided as he pinned his cloak and left the tent.

Menardi was busying herself by a small fire, defrosting some bread for breakfast. Naturally, she could have defrosted it herself using psynergy, but heating required far more concentration than did burning, concentration she simply did not have this morning. Her mind was somewhere else today. She looked up at the sound of Saturos leaving his private tent. He was followed by Jenna, who looked at the Proxian woman spitefully.

_Right back at you_, Menardi thought as she glared at the pair, holding herself back from spitting at her partner's feet. Saturos wore a smug look on his face, one that elucidated the pleasure he took from pissing off Menardi, whom he knew was jealous. Though his feelings towards the Valish girl were dubious, Menardi hated that he should have a lover at his side and not her.

"You're late," Menardi sneered.

"Not so," Saturos replied. Then, as he eyed the rising sun, he bit his lip. "Perhaps only a little. We'll make it in time if we hurry."

"We should be leaving now." When Saturos opened his mouth to deliver a rejoinder, Menardi ordered, "Save your breath! Pack our things. Have the girl help you. It'll give her a chance to prove she's not completely inept."

Jenna frowned. "Where's my brother?" Looking around, she found that Felix was nowhere to be seen. "Kraden, is he in your tent?"

"No, my dear, and I haven't seen him since retiring to my tent last night," the old man replied softly.

"Menardi?" asked Jenna, hoping the Proxian could shed some light on the matter.

The woman stood and commenced handing out pieces of the bread that had successfully thawed over the flame to the travelers. "He left while we were sleeping. I asked him to move on ahead; since I heard there is a tribe of nomadic hunters up north, I thought he could haggle for goods with them. We'll meet up with him later."

"You sent him on _his own_?" Jenna questioned her, a concerned note in her voice. She was thinking of the wild beasts that the party had come across earlier in their journey across the mountains. Having just recently gotten her brother back, she certainly did not want to lose him again, especially so soon.

Menardi smirked, pinching Jenna's cheek until Jenna pushed away her arm. Menardi scoffed, "Don't worry, girlie. Unlike you, Felix can take care of himself." For one thing, the Proxian certainly was not afraid of voicing her opinion, even if it vexed Jenna, who had before made the mistake of talking back to Menardi. Needless to say, it did not end well. A lot of snow was melted before Saturos got involved, which only worsened matters. Then when Felix tried to break up the fighting, he only succeeded in getting the Mars Adepts' attention by triggering an avalanche, which set the crew back half a day. Jenna did not learn from the experience.

"I am _not_ useless!" Jenna growled. "And stop treating me like a kid!"

"I will when you stop acting like one!"

"Menardi, you exaggerate," came the voice of Saturos. He left Jenna's side and brushed the topic of the conversation away. "Continue fixing breakfast, would you? I'm famished."

"'Fix breakfast; _I'm_ famished,' he says. The narcissist!" She grumbled to herself as she went back to work, now on her second roll of bread. "Blasted fire," she murmured, "can't warm this any faster, can it?"

The scene was peaceable, with Menardi at work on breakfast, Jenna and Saturos taking down tents, and Kraden shifting his feet, trying to get warm. Then, moments later:,"_Kraden!_" Menardi screeched.

"Y-yes, here I am!" the startled scholar stammered with a squeak. "No need to shout; I hear well for my age."

"I'll scream if I want," she said through gritted teeth. "Don't just stand about! Take what they've" – she nodded towards Saturos and Jenna – "packed up and strap it onto the sled." The sled of which she spoke was the product of tying together the branches of a few fallen trees that the party was fortunate enough to find before getting too far from Vale. Before then, Jenna and Kraden were issued the shared job of carrying everything, which was not much, aside from the tents. The supplies, by the way, were bought from the inhabitants of a small settlement of mountain dwellers. (Menardi had wanted to steal the goods, but Felix insisted on paying for them, much to her displeasure.)

Wordlessly, Kraden walked across the thick snow and began picking up the small bundles of things Jenna had collected. TheValish girl, still bitter from Menardi's comments, forced a smile at the elder as she and Saturos carried the tent to the sled. Following them with his arms full, Kraden asked Jenna, "How did you sleep?"

Jenna laughed. Each day since the party left Sol Sanctum together, Kraden had asked Jenna this same question without fail. She appreciated it; it was one of a few things that she could rely on, along with the sun rising and setting. She let out a long sigh. "Well enough, I guess. And you?"

"Very well, thank you. I had a dream this time!"

"Did you? Wha–."

Menardi cut Jenna off. "_Later_, girl! You're wasting time. You both can talk on the way."

Saturos tied the small tent to the sled, pulling on the strap. After he had unloaded the bundles from Kraden and fastened them to the sled, he eyed the pair and spoke sharply. "Don't dawdle. We're behind schedule as it is. If you need incentive, know that Felix is waiting for us." Brusquely, he left Jenna's side and went to pack up the rest of their materials, strewn around camp. Jenna's soft gaze followed him as he went.

…

When the group made it to the campsite, Felix was happily enjoying himself to drinks of hot cider with the father of the family of hunters. Many families like this one were camped across the mountains of the northern-most stretch of Goma Range. They belonged to a tribe of mountain dwellers; the town was established somewhere on the Range, but the Adepts knew not where. Each year, families would leave the village for months on end to hunt wolves and bears for their skins, which they would sell to travelers and merchants alike. They were little known (except to merchants, of course) and were considered something of a myth to those of neighboring villages. If anything, they were very hospitable, as Felix, who stood from the log on which he was sitting, could attest. Raising his mug in the air, he cried, "Welcome, friends!" Menardi rolled her eyes.

At the sight of her brother in good spirits, Jenna's heart was uplifted. Carelessly, she let go of her side of the sled, causing some of the materials on it to fall off, and rushed over to Felix's side, calling a half-hearted "sorry" over her shoulder. Menardi made a move to yell, but Saturos, putting his hand on her arm, stopped her. With a huff, she shrugged him off and joined Jenna and Felix's conversation.

"Felix," she interjected with a nod, as was one of her ways of saying hello.

"Good to see you again, too, Menardi. You're later than I expected." Then, leaning in slightly and speaking more sternly, Felix said, "What took you so long?"

Menardi scoffed, "Our watchman" – she threw a glance at Saturos, who was watching Kraden as he put the tumbled goods back on the sled – "found something more pressing to do than to keep an eye on the rising of the sun."

Jenna swallowed. She was stiff, too nervous to say anything. Instead, her eyes flitted to Felix's face to watch his reaction.

"Oh? Like what? I hardly knew there was anything more important," replied Felix with a sarcastic flare. He took a sip from his mug in an effort to steady his nerves. _No, it couldn't be. Not so soon._

The Mars Adept leaned in and whispered in Felix's ear. "Oh, it's no surprise to you he's on task, is it?" As she made distance between her face and his, Menardi watched with pleasure the growing look of denial on Felix's face as his eyes shifted between her face and Jenna's . His sister avoided eye contact, and she turned a slight shade of pink. Jenna bit her lip as she tried to think of some delicate way to word her explanation.

A distance off, one could see Kraden appealing to Saturos for help in tying down one of the tents that had come lose. Saturos was trying to keep himself out of it, to remain giving orders to the elderly man. Yet, he eventually became fed up and took matters into his own hands, sending Kraden away as he knelt beside the sled to examine the issue more closely.

Felix clenched his jaw as he imagined the worst, staring at his sister as he did so. Eventually, his mind travelled far enough down the rabbit hole to issue him great discomfort. He shook his head, as if he were shaking away the images in his mind. "Not already," Felix whispered to whichever of the two women would care to respond. His voice was shaking slightly. "It's far too soon!"_Jenna…_

"We did nothing you're likely thinking!" said the reassuring Jenna. "We shared a tent. That's all! I swear!" At the skeptical expression Felix cast, Jenna caught his arm and looked into his eyes, repeating, "I swear."

Her brother opened his mouth to say something, but he never got the chance.

"Felix, my boy!" cried Kraden enthusiastically as he approached. Throwing his arms around the Valish man, who artfully avoided spilling his cider, Kraden asked, "Would you leave without giving me a good-bye?"

"It was only for a short while."

"He doesn't have to answer to you!"

Having spoken at the same time, Felix and Menardi exchanged cold glances. It was as if they were fighting over the justified authority to answer Kraden's question with only the look in each other's eyes.

"You don't need to know what our plans are," Saturos said coldly as he neared the group. "You are merely here to play the role of a hostage, nothing more."

Felix sternly looked Saturos in the eye. "Kraden can know my whereabouts if he wants to, but," he turned to the scholar, "you don't need to worry about me. I can take fine care of myself now."

"Ha! Tell that to your sister! I believe she needs to hear it from you more than he does," Menardi added.

"I can't help it if I worry about you, Felix! I've only just gotten you back."

With a glance at Menardi and Saturos, Felix replied, "Jenna, I understand you don't want to lose me again, but take it from me: I can watch my own back."

Jenna let her shoulders fall in defeat.

Felix began with a sigh, "Anyway, enough of this aimless chatter. Chief says the village of Imil is navigable by following a certain constellation. I had him draw it for me. Cost me 650 coins for the skin he drew it on."

"And what does that matter to us?" asked Saturos.

"Nothing, really. I just want you to pay me back for it."

"You must be joking," said Menardi dryly.

Felix laughed, "Oh, of course! Of course." _Only not really._ "Anyway, we're about halfway there. It's in that direction." He pointed northeast of the direction in which the group had originally been travelling. "We can continue to follow the mountain ridge and then realign ourselves to the constellation at night if you prefer to travel by day. However, the man did say that the ridge becomes less reliable the more north you go, so at some point –."

"—We'll be travelling at night," Jenna finished regrettably.

Felix inhaled and nodded. "Yeah."

"What is this constellation?" Menardi asked inquisitively.

He shrugged. "Something that looks to me like a shrimp."

"You're likely talking about the _Squilla_," Kraden jumped in.

"What does it matter what it's called?"

"Menardi, please. Your callous comments are too many." The Venus Adept stood up for his old teacher. "We don't need to hear it."

She withdrew her short dagger and pointed it in Felix's face. "Watch your tongue, boy!"

Saturos gingerly placed his hand on his partner's forearm. "Menardi. Put it away," he said calmly and quietly. "Even I am getting sick of it." Menardi exhaled hotly, looked Saturos in the eye, and lowered her weapon. "Fine," she whispered.

Pushing the conversation forward, Felix said, "Chief pointed it out to me last night. I'm pretty confident I can find it again. At any rate, we should get going." He turned from the group and approached the head of the family of hunters. The two men exchanged words briefly. Felix returned the mug and patted the chief's shoulder with a smile in thanks. He then turned from the man, who waved to the group of four. The four waved back as Felix walked across the snow to the party. "Well? Are we ready?"

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Thank you so much for reading! I hope you liked it! Comments, thoughts, suggestions are all wonderful and _much_ appreciated. TYVM to you in advance, and as always, thanks for reading!

Sincerely, Tem


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